Renault ZOE reliability & safety

The Renault ZOE achieved good crash-test results back in 2013, but the lack of autonomous emergency city braking is quite poor in today’s field

Last Updated: 19 Feb 2019

Rating

3.0/5

Euro NCAP rating

Adult protection rating

Child protection rating

Safety assist rating

5 stars

89%

80%

85%

Renault ZOE reliability & problems

The ZOE managed an impressive fifth place in our 2015 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey – two years after the car was launched – and it went on to improve this to second place out of 150 cars tested in 2016. It’s an impressive showing by any standard.

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This could be a bit misleading, though, since it placed so highly thanks to a third-place ranking for running costs and second place for ease of driving. Owners are less impressed by the ZOE’s reliability. It came 106th in that category, with a build-quality result of 80th. So while the electric motor itself should be very reliable and will keep you moving, there’s a chance that other bits and pieces might fall off occasionally.

Safety

The ZOE achieved the maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating when it was crash-tested back in 2013, but since then things have moved on, particularly in terms of driver aids. A lot of rivals now have autonomous emergency braking as standard or as an option, so it’s a shame the Renault doesn’t. There’s also no space-saver spare wheel – not even as an option.

Still, the ZOE does get four airbags, a passenger airbag disconnect switch, parking sensors as standard even on the cheapest model, and ISOFIX fittings on the two outer rear seats.